Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Qana, April 18... Do not forget


At 12:05 on April 18, 1996, Israeli artillery hit a UN compound in the village of Qana, in Southern Lebanon. Around 800 Lebanese civilians had taken refuge there to escape the fighting, of whom 106 were killed and around 116 others injured.

The United Nations appointed Major-General Franklin Van Kappen to investigate the incident. As you can read in this letter to the UN Secretary-General, his findings were:
"(a) The distribution of impacts at Qana shows two distinct concentrations, whose mean points of impact are about 140 metres apart. If the guns were converged, as stated by the Israeli forces, there should have been only one main point of impact.

(b) The pattern of impacts is inconsistent with a normal overshooting of the declared target (the mortar site) by a few rounds, as suggested by the Israeli forces.

(c) During the shelling, there was a perceptible shift in the weight of fire from the mortar site to the United Nations compound.

(d) The distribution of point impact detonations and air bursts makes it improbable that impact fuses and proximity fuses were employed in random order, as stated by the Israeli forces.

(e) There were no impacts in the second target area which the Israeli forces claim to have shelled.

(f) Contrary to repeated denials, two Israeli helicopters and a remotely piloted vehicle were present in the Qana area at the time of the shelling.

While the possibility cannot be ruled out completely, it is unlikely that the shelling of the United Nations compound was the result of gross technical and/or procedural errors."

Friday, April 13, 2007

The Lebanese civil war, 32 years on


This translation is going to be revised and corrected soon. Please check later.

ﻜﺎﻥ ﺒﻠﺩ ﺍﻻﺭﺯ ﻭ ﺍﻠﻠﻴﻤﻭﻥ ﻭ ﺍﻠﺯﻴﺘﻭﻥ
ﻜﺎﻥ ﺒﻠﺩ
ﻠﺩﻡ ﻭ ﺍﻠﺤﺭﺏ ﺒﻴﻥ ﺍﻠﻁﻭﺍﻴﻑ ﻭ ﺍﻠﻌﻴﻝ
ﻜﺎﻥ ﺒﻠﺩ ﺍﻟﻟﻲ ﺒﺘﺩﺒﺢ ﻭﻻﺩﻩ ﻭ ﺒﻨﺎﺘﻪ
ﻜﺎﻨﻭﺍ ﺭﺠﺎﻝ ﻭ ﻨﺴﻭﺍﻥ ﺍﻟﻟﻲ ﻤﺎ ﺒﻴﻘﺸﻌﻭﺍ
ﻭ ﺒﻴﺤﻜﻭﺍ ﻉ ﺼﻭﺕ ﻭﺍﻁﻲ
ﻭ ﺒﻴﻁﻔﻭﺍ ﺍﻟﻀﻭ
ﻭ ﺒﻴﺸﺭﺤﻭﺍ ﺒﺎﻟﺴﻜﻭﺕ ﻜﻝ ﺭﺼﺎﺹ
ﻭ ﻜﻝ ﺠﺜﺔ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺍﻠﻁﺭﻴﻕ

ﻨﺤﻥ... ﺃﻨﺘﻡ... ﻫﻡ... ﺸﻭ ﻴﻌﻨﻲ ﻨﺤﻥ؟
ﻠﻨﺎ ﺍﻠﺤﺭﻴﺔ ﺍﻥ ﻨﻘﻭﻝ
ﺍﻨﻭ ﺍﻠﻌﻴﻭﻥ ﺒﻴﺸﻔﻭﺍ
ﻭ ﺍﻻﺫﻥ ﺒﻴﺘﺴﻤﻊ
ﻭ ﺍﻠﻔﻡ ﺒﺘﺤﻜﻲ
ﻭ ﺍﻠﻌﻘﻝ ﺒﻴﺘﺎﻤﻝ
ﺒﻌﺽ ﺍﻠﻤﺭﺍﺕ ﺒﻴﺸﺠﺏ ﻭ ﺒﻌﺽ ﺍﻠﻤﺭﺍﺕ ﺒﻴﻐﻔﺭ
ﺒﺴﻴﻁﴼ ﺒﻴﻔﻜﺭ

ﻔﻜﺭ
ﻗﺒﻠﻤﺎ ﺘﻁﻠﻕ ﺍﻠﻨﺎﺭ
ﻔﻜﺭ
ﻗﺒﻠﻤﺎ ﺘﻘﻭﻝ ﻭ ﺘﺤﻜﻡ
ﻓﻜﺭ ﺍﻨﻭ ﺍﻠﻘﺭﺍﺭ ﻔﻴﻙ
ﺨﻠﻴﻙ ﻠﺤﻅﺔ
ﺨﻠﻴﻙ ﻠﺤﻅﺔ ﺒﺱ
ﻤﻊ ﺭﺍﺴﻙ ﺒﻴﻥ ﺇﻴﺩﻴﻙ

ﻜﺎﻨﻭﺍ ﺸﺒﺎﺏ ﺍﻠﻠﻲ ﻤﺎﺘﻭﺍ
ﺒﺱ ﻋﺭﻓﻭﺍ ﺍﻨﻭ ﻠﻥ ﻜﻨﺎ ﻨﺴﻴﻨﺎ ﺍﻓﻜﺎﺭﻫﻡ ﻭ ﺍﺤﻼﻤﻫﻡ
ﺍﻓﻜﺎﺭ ﻤﺜﻝ ﻤﻌﺠﺯﺍﺕ
ﺍﻓﻜﺎﺭ ﺍﻠﺘﺤﺭﻴﺭ ﻭ ﺍﻠﺤﻭﺍﺭ ﻭ ﺍﻠﺴﻭﻴﺔ
ﻀﺩ ﺍﻠﻔﺴﺎﺩ ﻭ ﺍﻠﻁﻐﻴﺎﻥ ﻭ ﺍﻻﺤﺘﻼﻝ
ﻷﺠﻝ ﺍﻠﻤﻅﻠﻭﻤﻴﻥ
ﻷﺠﻝ ﺍﻠﻤﺤﺭﻭﻤﻴﻥ
ﻀﺩ ﺍﻠﻠﻲ ﺒﻴﺨﺒﻭﺍ ﻀﻤﻴﺭﻫﻡ ﺘﺤﺕ ﺍﻹﺴﻤﻨﺕ

ﻜﺎﻨﻭﺍ ﺭﺠﺎﻝ ﻭ ﻨﺴﻭﺍﻥ ﺍﻟﻟﻲ ﻗﺎﻭﻤﻭﺍ
ﺤﺘﻰ ﺍﺫﺍ ﺍﻨﻴﻬﺩﻤﺕ ﻜﻝ ﺸﻲ
ﻻﻨﻭ ﺸﻭ ﻴﻌﻨﻲ ﺍﻠﺤﻴﺎﺓ
ﺍﺫﺍ ﺒﺘﺨﺎﻑ ﻤﻥ ﻗﻨﺒﻠﺔ ﺍﻭ ﺴﻼﺡ؟
ﺒﻴﺨﻠﺼﻭﺍ ﺍﻠﻨﺎﺱ
ﺒﻴﺨﻠﺼﻭﺍ ﺍﻠﺠﻴﻭﺵ ﻭ ﺍﻠﺤﺭﻭﺏ
ﻤﺎ ﺒﻴﺨﻠﺹ ﺍﻹﻗﺘﻨﺎﻉ
ﺍﻨﻭ ﺍﻠﻌﺩﺍﻠﺔ ﻭ ﺍﻠﺴﻼﻡ ﻭ ﺍﻠﻜﺭﺍﻤﺔ ﻤﺵ ﺃﻭﻫﺎﻡ

ﻔﻜﺭ
ﻗﺒﻠﻤﺎ ﺘﻁﻠﻕ ﺍﻠﻨﺎﺭ
ﻔﻜﺭ
ﻗﺒﻠﻤﺎ ﺘﻘﻭﻝ ﻭ ﺘﺤﻜﻡ
ﻓﻜﺭ ﺍﻨﻭ ﺍﻠﻘﺭﺍﺭ ﻔﻴﻙ
ﺨﻠﻴﻙ ﻠﺤﻅﺔ
ﺨﻠﻴﻙ ﻠﺤﻅﺔ ﺒﺱ
ﻤﻊ ﺭﺍﺴﻙ ﺒﻴﻥ ﺇﻴﺩﻴﻙ

(Based upon the lyrics of "Pensa" by Fabrizio Moro)



The notorious van of Ain El Rommaneh, 1975-2002.



Barbir bridge, 1989-2002.

You can see many more images like these ones in Lebanon Shot Twice by Zaven Kouyoumdjian and Hayat Karanouh, a beautiful book full of stories of life and death that will make you shiver, cry, remember... or simply think.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Projet à la libanaise

Le Syrien, avez-vous dit?